Power: Six New Testament Greek Words
The Fountain Head of the Anointing
Life and ministry in the anointing of the Holy Spirit doesn’t come from a minor, obscure window-ledge platform of belief. It comes from basic theology. Raising spiritual children or mentoring new Christians begins by laying a foundation of grace that flows from the wells of salvation.
John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” The work of the cross settled everything once and for all.
“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself... the oath after the law appointed the Son, made perfect forever.” “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 7:27, 28; 9:12, 24-28 NIV)
1. He finished the work of salvation by paying the full price for redemption. The blood He shed was sufficient for all sin and for all time. His blood cleanses the conscience, so that we serve the living God. (1 Peter 1:18-20; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:14)
2. He finished the work of defeating sin. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Righteousness is a gift to everyone who believes. Human nature wants to trust good works. Ignorant zeal > effort > failure (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:1-4)
3. He finished the work of defeating of satan. The night Jesus was betrayed, He said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (John 12:31, 32; 1 John 3:8)
4. He finished the work of defeating death. “Death is swallowed up in victory... Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
5. He finished the work of sanctification. The power for change comes from the cross. “By the will of God, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... Since that time He waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, by one sacrifice He has perfected forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:10-14)
6. He finished the work that gained the victory over the world. (1 John 5:4-5)
7. He finished the work to supply all the authority and power to the church throughout history. What Jesus did at the cross is the legal basis for us to walk in the power of Christ. By faith we enter into a spiritual position under the blood of the new covenant, contract, which enables us to receive and walk in power. Grace that abides. Grace that comes. (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 10:38)
Jesus Transferred Authority and Power to the Church
1. Authority. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:18KJV) The Greek for ‘power’ is ‘exousia’ rightly translated NIV ‘All authority’. Exousia means authority, jurisdiction, power of government, choice, or judicial decision. He gave His apprentices power, exousia, to cast out devils and heal the sick. (Matthew 10:1) This was prior to the cross, the resurrection, and the Great Commission. Why expect anything less? Why not more?
2. Miraculous Power. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” The word ‘power’ is ‘dunamis’ meaning strength, ability, power for performing miracles, moral power and excellence of soul, the power of influential people, power and resources arising from numbers and armies. (Acts 1:8)
a. Jesus sent his disciples out and gave them authority, exousia, over all the power, dunamis, of the devil. (Luke 10:19) Luke 24:49 Wait to be clothed with power, dunamis. More power than Mt. 10 and Luke 10!
b. The Samaritans received the Spirit when Peter and John laid hands on them. Simon offered money saying, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” The Greek for ‘ability’ is ‘exousia’, authority. Christians have the authority, exousia, to deposit the power, dunamis, the baptism of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. (Acts 8:17-19)
c. Never forget where this power comes from. John 15:5 Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” In the Greek Jesus was saying, ‘Without me you have no dunamis power.’ Stay connected or you will run out of juice!
3. Prevailing Power. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Greek word for ‘can do’ is ‘ischus’ meaning abiding power or strength, the strength to continue, to endure to the end, to overcome. (Philippians 4:13) While you are waiting for God’s miraculous power to heal, deliver, or break through in your life, you can depend on God’s sustaining power, ischus.
4. Dominion Power. The Greek word kratos means dominion, corporate, kingdom dominion. Vines: manifested power. From the word kra meaning to perfect or complete. There is grace available to dominate until you complete the will of God.
Paul prayed that the spiritual eyes of Ephesian believers would be opened so they would know “the exceeding greatness of His power (dunamis) toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty (kratos) power (ischus) which He worked in Christ when He raised him from the dead…” (Ephesians 1:19)
a. Jesus came “that through death he might destroy him who had the power (kratos) of death, that is the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
b. Jesus totally defeated satan. Satan lost his legal authority to rule the earth and his power was overcome by the superior power of Jesus. (Colossians 2:9, 10, 15)
c. Jesus took the keys of death and hell from satan. (Revelation 1:18)
d. Now we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places far above all the authority, dominion, and power (exousia) of satan. (Ephesians 1:21; 2:6)
e. “Finally by brethren be strong (dunamis) in the Lord and the power (kratos) of His might (ischus).” (Ephesians 6:10)
5. Energizing Power. The Greek word energeia means energy, working, efficiency. “I was made a minister (servant) according to the gift of the grace of God given to me through the effective working (energeia – energizing work) of His power (dunamis).
6. Aggressive Power. The Greek word bia means strength in violent action, force of body or mind. Forceful (biastes) men lay hold of the kingdom of God. (Matthew 11:12) There is grace available for those (Vines) who would make an effort to enter kingdom living in spite of violent opposition. Luke 16:16 those who exert pressure cannot stop those pressing into the kingdom.
Life and ministry in the anointing of the Holy Spirit doesn’t come from a minor, obscure window-ledge platform of belief. It comes from basic theology. Raising spiritual children or mentoring new Christians begins by laying a foundation of grace that flows from the wells of salvation.
John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” The work of the cross settled everything once and for all.
“He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself... the oath after the law appointed the Son, made perfect forever.” “He entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption.” “He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Hebrews 7:27, 28; 9:12, 24-28 NIV)
1. He finished the work of salvation by paying the full price for redemption. The blood He shed was sufficient for all sin and for all time. His blood cleanses the conscience, so that we serve the living God. (1 Peter 1:18-20; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:14)
2. He finished the work of defeating sin. God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. Righteousness is a gift to everyone who believes. Human nature wants to trust good works. Ignorant zeal > effort > failure (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 10:1-4)
3. He finished the work of defeating of satan. The night Jesus was betrayed, He said, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.” “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (John 12:31, 32; 1 John 3:8)
4. He finished the work of defeating death. “Death is swallowed up in victory... Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)
5. He finished the work of sanctification. The power for change comes from the cross. “By the will of God, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... Since that time He waits for his enemies to be made his footstool, by one sacrifice He has perfected forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:10-14)
6. He finished the work that gained the victory over the world. (1 John 5:4-5)
7. He finished the work to supply all the authority and power to the church throughout history. What Jesus did at the cross is the legal basis for us to walk in the power of Christ. By faith we enter into a spiritual position under the blood of the new covenant, contract, which enables us to receive and walk in power. Grace that abides. Grace that comes. (Matthew 16:18-19; Acts 10:38)
Jesus Transferred Authority and Power to the Church
1. Authority. Jesus said, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go therefore, and teach all nations…” (Mt. 28:18KJV) The Greek for ‘power’ is ‘exousia’ rightly translated NIV ‘All authority’. Exousia means authority, jurisdiction, power of government, choice, or judicial decision. He gave His apprentices power, exousia, to cast out devils and heal the sick. (Matthew 10:1) This was prior to the cross, the resurrection, and the Great Commission. Why expect anything less? Why not more?
2. Miraculous Power. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses...” The word ‘power’ is ‘dunamis’ meaning strength, ability, power for performing miracles, moral power and excellence of soul, the power of influential people, power and resources arising from numbers and armies. (Acts 1:8)
a. Jesus sent his disciples out and gave them authority, exousia, over all the power, dunamis, of the devil. (Luke 10:19) Luke 24:49 Wait to be clothed with power, dunamis. More power than Mt. 10 and Luke 10!
b. The Samaritans received the Spirit when Peter and John laid hands on them. Simon offered money saying, “Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.” The Greek for ‘ability’ is ‘exousia’, authority. Christians have the authority, exousia, to deposit the power, dunamis, the baptism of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands. (Acts 8:17-19)
c. Never forget where this power comes from. John 15:5 Jesus said, “Without me you can do nothing.” In the Greek Jesus was saying, ‘Without me you have no dunamis power.’ Stay connected or you will run out of juice!
3. Prevailing Power. “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” The Greek word for ‘can do’ is ‘ischus’ meaning abiding power or strength, the strength to continue, to endure to the end, to overcome. (Philippians 4:13) While you are waiting for God’s miraculous power to heal, deliver, or break through in your life, you can depend on God’s sustaining power, ischus.
4. Dominion Power. The Greek word kratos means dominion, corporate, kingdom dominion. Vines: manifested power. From the word kra meaning to perfect or complete. There is grace available to dominate until you complete the will of God.
Paul prayed that the spiritual eyes of Ephesian believers would be opened so they would know “the exceeding greatness of His power (dunamis) toward us who believe according to the working of His mighty (kratos) power (ischus) which He worked in Christ when He raised him from the dead…” (Ephesians 1:19)
a. Jesus came “that through death he might destroy him who had the power (kratos) of death, that is the devil.” (Hebrews 2:14)
b. Jesus totally defeated satan. Satan lost his legal authority to rule the earth and his power was overcome by the superior power of Jesus. (Colossians 2:9, 10, 15)
c. Jesus took the keys of death and hell from satan. (Revelation 1:18)
d. Now we are seated together with Christ in heavenly places far above all the authority, dominion, and power (exousia) of satan. (Ephesians 1:21; 2:6)
e. “Finally by brethren be strong (dunamis) in the Lord and the power (kratos) of His might (ischus).” (Ephesians 6:10)
5. Energizing Power. The Greek word energeia means energy, working, efficiency. “I was made a minister (servant) according to the gift of the grace of God given to me through the effective working (energeia – energizing work) of His power (dunamis).
6. Aggressive Power. The Greek word bia means strength in violent action, force of body or mind. Forceful (biastes) men lay hold of the kingdom of God. (Matthew 11:12) There is grace available for those (Vines) who would make an effort to enter kingdom living in spite of violent opposition. Luke 16:16 those who exert pressure cannot stop those pressing into the kingdom.
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